Musica Propria Opa! - Giroux - Concert Band (Flex) - Gr. 5

Composer: Julie Giroux
Format: Score and Parts
Instrumentation: Concert Band (Flex)
Level: 5

This work opens with an original Greek prayer setting and ends with a lively dance based on the Greek song "Karaguna." It starts out somber and dissonant with musical counterpoint full of many tension and release moments. The listener is then transported to a dance setting which start outs slowly featuring a lengthy alto saxophone solo. The music gradually increases in excitement and tempo ending in a frenetic explosion best described as a love of life the people of Greece continuously display in their food, revelling and music.
Duration: 5:55

Commissioned by the North Hills High School Bands, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Len Lavelle, Director, in memory of Areta Kalogeras who was the North Hills Band Director from 1975 through 2008.